Chris De Burgh – “Spanish Train and Other Stories”

The Sleeve:

The Liner/Sleeve Notes:
None.

Personal Review:
To get me started on this, I have to start by saying a long time ago I had a cassette player in my room and in the cassette player, I had this album. I would listen to it nightly, it was the first album I listened to from start to finish. So, basically, in the end this album was the first album I ever heard in full length. So, let’s get started!
So, the album opens with the track “Spanish Train” – which is an amazing opening track, it’s basically about a train, in which the conductor is dying and God & Satan are playing cards over all the souls on board the train, and Satan cheats. The chorus is amazing, and everything about the song is great. Next up, is the ever sweet “Lonely Sky” – which opens with the most beautiful piano playing, and Chris De Burgh’s amazing vocals. I really find Chris is a chorus man, all of his songs on this album feature the greatest choruses! “Fly away, fly to me, aaand if you need my love, I’m sailing beside you in your lonely sky!” – next up comes “This Song for You” which is a song written from the point of view of a soldier in the Battle of Passchendaele who is writing a letter to his wife, and in the letter he writes her a song, and it’s quite nice. Next up is the ever so great, “Patricia the Stripper” – which opens with one hell of a great narrative! I got to admit, at once in high school I was toying with the idea of making this album into a play and then this song came on… Anyways! The song is amazing, it’s about Patricia who is a stripper! But she gets arrested! Then let off, because she’s hot. “A Spaceman Came Travelling…” comes next, which is a song about an alien coming down to a city, the alien is basically the star of Bethlehem, and the woman and baby are Mary and Jesus, etc. Anyways, the song became a HUGE Christmas hit in the UK, which is pretty neat. (I know my Mom has a Christmas compilation laying around that has this song on it.) The song makes for a great way to end the A-Side of the album.

The B-Side opens with the track “I’m Going Home” which kind of has a funky beat to it, which makes for a pretty good opening and Chris delivers the song amazingly, and how he left his home, but now makes his way back home! Then the chorus hits, and the song just becomes a golden track, and I’m in love. “The Painter” comes next, which is more of a darker tune, it’s about a guy who gets his wife painted, but the painter actually murders her! (*suspense!*) anyways, the chorus comes up and… “but ma’am I think we should take a walk in the woods!” – the song is amazingly disturbing! The musicianship is pretty great too. Next up comes “Old Friend” which is a slower song, I love the line “you used to take me fishing down by the old wishing well, one day you through a wish in, and we listened as it fell” the song is pretty great, it’s followed by “The Tower” which is about a Lord, who wants a woman who does not want anything to do with him, and he does everything in his power to try and win her over, but he doesn’t and he dies in the end. It’s kind of sad, but the song is so bitter sweet. The album ends with the absolutely greatest ending track ever. “Just Another Poor Boy” about a guy who is basically a radical, who speaks out against all the bad things in the world and gets taken in by a prostitute, and they become close friends and such. Then eventually, the people who are against him come for him and hang him “on a hillside faraway” – which in the end, the song is basically a retelling of Jesus and his crucifixion.

Interesting Facts:
None.

Track Listing:
A1 – Spanish Train
A2 – Lonely Sky
A3 – This Song for You
A4 – Patricia the Stripper
A5 – A Spaceman Came Travelling…

B1 – I’m Going Home
B2 – The Painter
B3 – Old Friend
B4 – The Tower
B5 – Just Another Poor Boy

Label:
A&M

Catalog Number:
SP-4568

Studio Musicians & Other Album Credits:
Chris de Burgh – Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Writer
Roland Young – Art Direction
Bill Imhoff – Artwork
Tony Reeves – Bass
Junie Osaki – Design
Chris Laurence – Double Bass (String Bass)
Barry de Souza – Drums
Ray Glynn – Electric Guitar
Engineers – Robin Geoffrey Cable, John Kelly, Mark Dodson & Ian Major
Phillip Goodhand-Tait – Harmonium
Tony Hymas – Keyboards
Lennox Laington – Percussion
Clive Arrowsmith – Liner Photography
Robin Geoffrey Cable – Producer
Ken Freeman – Synthesizer

Other Albums I Own by Chris De Burgh:
“A Simple Truth (A Child is Born)
“At the End of a Perfect Day
“Best Moves”
“Crusader”
“Eastern Wind”
“Into the Light”

Released:
1975

Related Vinyls:

John Lennon – “Imagine” Barclay James Harvest – “Octoberon” John Lennon – “Plastic Ono Band” The Trio – “A Splendid Time Is Guaranteed For All”